When: Wednesday, November 10th, 2021

Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Where: Free Online Webinar

Credits: 1.0 HSW/LU AIA credit (pending)

THANKS TO OUR NEW 2021-2022 PLATINUM SPONSOR:

Description:

Fairwood Commons, a 60-unit affordable senior living development in Columbus, Ohio, is the first PHIUS+ certified multifamily Passive House in Ohio. As such, it was designed and built primarily by teams without prior experience with Passive House construction or certification. In addition, as an affordable housing development, the team was working with a tight budget. This presentation reviews the lessons learned from design, construction and testing, and discusses key practices and learnings that can help new teams effectively deliver Passive House projects. Specifically, the presentation will discuss:

·       Close collaboration on details: The architect, CPHC, and GC collaborated closely on the development of the project’s assemblies, and on numerous custom air barrier and envelope details. This process was key to developing cost-effective approaches for difficult-to-seal areas like party walls, elevator shafts, trash chutes, and attic/roof access.

·       Balancing cost and performance: The team also worked closely to identifying cost-saving opportunities, such as specifying double-pane Pella windows rather than European triple paned windows, and developing wall, roof, and slab assemblies that were as close as possible to conventional construction.

·       Getting ventilation right: Fairwood’s ventilation system utilizes multiple ERVs, each serving several units. Some design decisions made during construction made it challenging to balance the airflow; we discuss the diagnostic tools that were used to track down problems, and key lessons from both a design and construction standpoint.

·       Early testing: The team utilizes rigorous early testing to identify problems when they were still easy to solve, including early envelope leakage testing, and early hot water distribution testing, which included installation of a temporary water heater prior to drywall.

Learning Objectives:

1.     Understand best practices for design-stage project team collaboration.

2.     Understand the importance of training and clear alignment on project requirements.

3.     Understand how to avoid common pitfalls when working with teams new to Passive House certification, including common issues related to air tightness and ventilation.

4.     Understand the importance of early testing, and the types of tests that an be performed to identify likely problems.

Sanyog Rathod, AIA, LEED AP Homes, is the founder and CEO of Sol design + consulting, a Cincinnati-based firm which provides sustainability consulting and green building certification services. As a LEED for Homes Provider, Sanyog has certified over 1,000 residential and commercial projects in over 20 states and globally. Sol certified the largest LEED for Homes project in the world (617 Homes, 2.54 million square feet); certified the first LEED-Platinum multifamily supportive housing project in Ohio; and certified the first Passive House Multifamily building in the State of Ohio.

Sanyog Rathod is a Licensed Architect with a Master’s degree in Architecture, and brings 30 years of international design and construction experience of working on large complex projects. His active involvement in the profession, academia and community has led to following awards: Business Courier’s Top 20 People to Know in Green Business 2015; Cincinnati Preservation Association Award 2014; Habitat for Humanity Recognition for Service 2013.